Gabrielle's Point of ViewI woke up and got up to turn off the air conditioner as it was chilling my feet. Even though my eyes were a bit sore, I strained to glance at the small clock on the bedside table.I noticed that I was alone in bed; it was only four in the morning. Where could she have gone? Maybe she got hungry.Still groggy, I went downstairs and found Kate eating while Grandma was making coffee. "Good morning, Kuya. You're up early. What's the occasion?" Kate greeted me as she noticed me.I approached Grandma and kissed her on the cheek. I just nodded at Kate and went straight to the sink to brush my teeth because I find it hard to speak; I'm conscious of my saliva."Where's Eumerriah?" I asked, looking around."She hasn't come down yet. Is she awake?" Kate asked, heading to the fridge to get some bread."Ah, maybe she's in the bathroom. She wasn't in bed next to me, so I got up. I thought she woke up because the baby was hungry again. By the way, how was the program? Do yo
Gabrielle's Point of ViewWhen Kate finally stopped crying, she suddenly left me alone. I stood there, staring blankly at the small hut where Yumi and I used to live. I couldn't bring myself to open the letter Kate had given me. I felt like I already knew what it contained.I took my phone out of my pocket. Before running here, I had grabbed my car keys and my phone. I called Manager Kim. "Gabrielle? You're calling so early. How was the grand opening? I couldn't make it; I was too busy with—""Where's Eumerriah?" I cut her off abruptly."Why are you asking me?" She stopped talking because someone else approached her; I could hear it on the other end of the line. "Why are you asking me? Didn't I leave her with you at the coffee shop the other day? Didn't you take her back to Batangas?" Her voice revealed concern and confusion about Yumi's whereabouts. I ended the call and searched my phone for another contact who might know where Yumi was.I saw Ate Shaira's number in my contacts, so I
Gabrielle's Point of View"Kuyaaa! Kuya, open the door!" Kate had been knocking on my bedroom door for a while now."Please, kuya, let me in. I just want to see you." There was a sadness in her voice, so I walked over to the locked door. She entered and immediately hugged me. "I'm so worried about you, kuya. Lola and I are both worried. You haven't been eating, and we don't even know if you're sleeping properly. Kuya, please take care of yourself." She sobbed while holding onto me."Ate Eumerriah may have left you, but we're still here. Lola and I won't disappear. We won't leave you. We're always here for you." She continued. I comforted her, stroking her hair. I understood her feelings; I also wanted to be okay. I wanted to return to the days before I met her and when I wasn't worried about her well-being.Yumi didn't know how to cook, so who was preparing her food? Was it at least healthy? I worried if she was cold and who was putting a blanket over her since she tossed and turned i
**Gabrielle's Point of View**Grandma and Kate kicked me out of my room because they said they needed to clean it. They said the smell of alcohol, cigarettes, and whatever else was decaying was too strong. They mentioned that there were things rotting that I hadn't noticed.For the past two weeks, I only go out to buy alcohol, cigarettes, and anything that might lead me to my death. I just want to die from the pain of her leaving without saying goodbye. It's so hard to sleep at night, so hard to wake up in the morning feeling restless and anxious. I know it's not normal, and I don't want to be a burden to Grandma and Kate. Every time I try to cheer up, I suddenly remember Eumerriah’s joyful face, hear her laughter, and her childish voice scolding me. I stop, hoping she’ll come back and face me again, along with our child.I pretend to be okay and not sad in front of Grandma. I told them I was going to visit a resort while they were busy. I walked around, but no one recognized me. Is m
**Gabrielle's Point of View**I've been waiting for two hours, but Eumerriah still hasn’t come out of the mansion. The guests and my brother have already left, but she’s still nowhere to be seen. I sighed before maneuvering out of my parking spot. I wasn’t sure what to do next until I realized I was parked in the lot of a bar. It was getting dark, and it would open soon. I waited a bit longer. I wanted company, but I didn’t want people—only alcohol was on my mind.I wanted to drown myself in alcohol until I couldn’t feel the pain anymore. The pain stabbing at my chest. I didn’t even realize I had honked the horn of my car, which drew the attention of a bar staff. They said I was causing a disturbance and asked me to leave the parking lot. I asked if they were open yet, and they said they were open for casual drinkers but would be crowded later. I didn’t know it worked that way.I went in and ordered a drink. It didn’t take long before I ordered another, and shortly after, I had two mo
**Gabrielle's Point of View**Everyone thought I was quiet and okay for the past week. Lola and Kate assumed everything was fine, but they didn’t know that when they weren’t around, my mental torment began. I stopped going out, not wanting to add to the problems I’ve already caused. I locked myself in my own world. I couldn’t even bring myself to get my phone to connect with my friends. I didn’t want to burden them with my issues. My mind was stuck in a loop of negative thoughts.“Kuyaaaa!!” Kate’s knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. I quickly turned off the music I was playing and hid the beer under the bed.“What?” I asked as I opened the door. She was still fanning her face. “You smell awful! Are you drinking again? It’s already noon.”“No! Maybe you just smell yourself. If I find out you’re drinking, I’ll get rid of all the alcohol in the world for you!” I joked. She sniffed herself, looking a bit confused. “Why are you knocking? What do you need?” I asked.“Your friend is
**Gabrielle’s Point of View**“What are you going to do? It seems like Kristine is really pointing to you as the father of her child. She even said it in front of her parents. They must be looking for you by now. Your parents might already know too. What are you planning to do?” Paul asked, his voice firm and worried.They came over immediately when they found out Kristine was accusing me of being the father of her child. I know for a fact that I don’t love Kristine. I couldn’t bring myself to touch her because she seems like a younger sister to me. Even if I were drunk, I wouldn’t do something like that. I’ve proven that already; what happened between Eumerriah and me was because we were both drunk and under the influence of drugs.“You know how protective I am of Kristine. I wouldn’t do something like that to her. I see her as a sibling, just like I see Kate. It’s impossible for that to have happened. Besides, you know and you can see how much I love Yumi. Even though she left me, I
**Gabrielle’s Point of View**“Big brother, why are you drinking again?” Kate scolded me in disappointment. I didn't respond or even look at her. She and Grandma had just arrived from the resort.“Why did she leave me? Did I do something wrong?” I asked, staring out the window while sitting on the floor with my back against the bed.“I really can’t understand it. I did everything I could to care for her. I loved her and gave her attention. I changed to be liked by her and to be worthy of her.” I felt Kate’s hand soothing my back.I continued drinking. Kate couldn’t stop me. She let me be, probably understanding how hard things were for me. Adding to the problem was the current situation between Kate and me.Her parents wanted us to marry before her stomach started showing. I couldn’t be trapped in a marriage and relationship I didn’t want. Besides my friends, I didn’t know if anyone else was aware of my situation. I hadn't told Kate and Grandma yet. I knew they would be even more worr